Motivation wavers, and we often get complacent with where we are at as human beings. Throughout my self-improvement journey, there were times where I couldn't seem to find motivation anywhere. Regular exercise and healthy lifestyle choices helped me get out of a rut, but getting the motivation to complete those activities was challenging for me. I didn't know how to self-motivate.
I began doing Google searches for how I can improve myself and feel better about myself, and one of the most-suggested answer had something to do with learning something new, or learning more about yourself. After some online inspiration, I found some suggested books to read and I was hooked on the self-improvement journey. I never read for fun, but these books were inspiring, educational, and helped me build up my personal skills. Over the past couple years I have read a good amount of these books, and here are some of my favorites.
This book was one of my more recent reads, and I really enjoyed it. In this book, Covey suggests that by aligning your goals with your personal principles, you will be most effective. This book is filled with timeless and universal principles that inspired me to do a deep dive into my own personal beliefs and principles.
In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Covey discusses and relates 7 habits; be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw. Covey does a great job explaining how to relate these habits to your personal principles, and I found this information to be both applicable and helpful along my self-improvement journey.
Another book that i really enjoyed along my self-improvement journey was "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield. You might have heard of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series that has sold over 500 million copies worldwide, and Jack is the co-author of this series. "The Success Principles" covers 67 unique principles to follow that relate to success foundations, personal success, building a successful team, creating successful relationships, financial success, and success in the increasingly technological world.
I really liked this book! Jack does a great job clearly defining successful principles and relating them through everyday stories. I strongly recommend adding this book to your reading list!
This book is a little bit more different than the previous two in the list because it is primarily focused on financial wellness. However, I think that the principles of this book can apply to just about anything in life. Some of the primary messages in this book are that you are the master of your destiny, failure is not final, and you need to have the mentality that your greatest step will come just beyond the point of defeat.
I think that when you read this book, you have to read it with the mindset that it applies to much more than money. The principles in this book are nearly universal and can be applied to goals, relationships, and personal motivation and emotions. One of my top reads for sure!
I like to say that this book is filled with ideas and principles that you probably already know, but you need to hear anyways. It is no secret that success in this world is heavily tied to the people you have connections with, and these principles will help you build long lasting relationships full of trust and mutual benefit.
When I was younger I dealt with a lot of social anxiety, but this book really helped me build confidence in social situations. This is my favorite book for self-improvement in social situations and relationship building, and you should definitely give this one a read!
If you haven't heard of this book, you might be a little stunned by the title. This book is for any of the self-help skeptics out there. In "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck," Mark Manson uses blunt, funny, and offhand language to elaborate on his primary principle: not giving a f*ck doesn't mean not caring completely, it just means being comfortable with being different.
If you do well with in-your-face style motivation, this one's for you. While most self-improvement titles are very intuitive or contain a lot of common-sense principles, this book is the opposite. This book contains principles that you might not have thought about, and it's great for thinking outside the box!
Another in-your-face style of book right here. In this book, Jen Sincero uses blunt language, humor, inspiration, and advice on building authentic self-confidence. In this book you will learn how to identify and change any self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that might stop you from getting what you truly desire out of life.
I loved the way Jen Sincero wrote this book. It was humorous, blunt, and hard to put down! If you are looking for a lively book that also helps you boost your confidence, this is the one for you!
This book by Tony Robbins is a classic self-improvement pick. It is all-encompassing, well written, and downright motivational. Tony Robbins looks to boost your motivation while exploring numerous psychological principles and how they apply to our daily lives. He lists out steps to taking control of your life through your mind, your body, your relationships, your work, and your finances.
This is one of my absolute favorites and I recommend this to anyone who feels like they just need some type of general motivation in life. This book was one of the originals that I read and it sparked my self-improvement journey in such a positive way. This book is chalked full with so many concepts, principles, and examples that you're bound to get something out of it.
Another book that really sparked my self-improvement journey right here! Tim Ferriss writes so cynically and humorously that makes this book hard to put down. He explores seemingly random topics in this book, but the general message is that you need to cut down on tasks that are time wasters or emotional drainers in your life. Essentially he invites you to void yourself of distractions, think in new creative ways, and to live your life to its fullest potential.
While this book does relate a lot to your job or business, I think the principles here applicable to a lot of things. This book will get you thinking, and as a result of that thinking, it will leave you inspired. I like to say that inspiration is a stepping stone to motivation, and this book certainly provides that step.
This guy is insane. If you haven't heard of David Goggins, or seen his Instagram videos cursing you out and telling you to get your sh*t together, it's time you learn more about him. "Can't Hurt Me" is written in an autobiographical fashion about one of the most mentally tough people on the planet - David Goggins. In this book you will learn about how Goggins turned his like from nothing into everything. I really don't want to spoil his story for you, because you need to read it for yourself. This story is amazing.
I honestly almost put this book as number 1 on my list just because of the sheer amount of motivation I felt after reading this book. I love how at the end of each chapter, Goggins gives some activities that can help with building self-confidence and taking action. I recommend this book to almost everyone I know, and you need to read it too.
What are our lives filled with? Habits. In this book, James Clear asks the reader to stop just merely making goals, but to create new, healthy, and productive habits. I love this book because Clear gives very doable steps to developing habits that everyone can do. This book is easy to read and to understand, and it's all about taking action.
This book is such an inspiration to me, because when I first started my self-improvement journey all I was doing was setting goals. A lot of those goals were procrastinated or pushed back simply because I didn't know how to effectively change my habits. This book introduced those strategies, and instantly made me more productive, happier, and healthier as a result of following these principles.
One tool that I used along my self-improvement journey was audio books. If you don't like reading, or you would rather not purchase an entire book, you could use a service like Audible. Audio books are great for car rides, listening at the gym, or just when you are relaxing. I think it is definitely worth the investment, and it is one of my favorite way to get through books pretty quickly.